New Notes: Nicky Ramnani

‘The club scene is radically changing’

Since he went solo in 2015, Orbs & Zen’s Nicky Ramnani has become a fixture on Mumbai’s Deep House music scene.
#QueMag caught up with the artiste to get his views on the clubbing scene in India:
When did you start DJing and what were your early passions and influences?
I started DJing just over two years ago, so it’s recent, but music has always been my passion. I just never really took it beyond my bedroom or playing at house parties. I went through phases where I played hip-hop and bass music, but my early influences were Robert Miles, Sidney Charles, Finnebassin, and Chicane.
Do you believe in the idea of ‘reading an audience’ before performing a set?
Never before performing a set. The only thing I read before the set is the venue. Reading the audience is great to some extent, but it doesn’t divert me drastically from what I have in mind or how I feel that night. It has little to do with how the night goes, to be honest. The mood, to a large extent, depends on the music that you play.
If you could get stuck in the music scene of one particular year, which would it be?
Well, I’d say this year has been a good year. We’ve had tons of artistes coming down and there’s been a barrage of gigs and concerts so that’s pretty cool. But I think the scene here is still maturing and that there’s a long way to go, so I don’t want to even think of being stuck.

What would you say is your unique DJing style?
Eventually what you dish out is music and that’s always the first love – not the DJing style – so I try to focus as much as possible on that.
What is that one track you never get tired of playing or hearing?
There are quite a few tracks that come out of nowhere and get very popular - but that one track that got popular, and I was super sick of, was Hey You by London Grammar. Let’s not forget its half a dozen remixes.
Where do you think the club scene is heading?
There’s been so much activity this year alone. Some of the music greats have come down, both commercial as well as underground, and that indicates just how much the underground clubbing community is growing and getting noticed. The club scene is radically changing and it’s definitely heading towards ‘more’ - more gigs, more DJs and artistes coming down. All that means more exposure, and more is always better than less.

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You can listen to Audio Glitch’s music at: https://soundcloud.com/orbsandzenThis interview is part of a series of Q&As with artistes who’re playing new, interesting sounds that represent a young India.

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